P2 Sustainable use of common resources
2.1. Natural and cultural resources developed into sustainable tourist attractions
Central Baltic
01.06.2020 - 31.12.2022
€1 132 638
€917 249
There is a clear market demand for attractive tourism destinations that can respond to the latest travel trends: authentic lifestyle and sustainability. This provides the Central Baltic region with the opportunity to develop its rural tourism potential. The region can count on several traditional activities related to authentic rural lifestyle. These activities have the potential to attract tourists by offering them the opportunity to immerse themselves into the local everyday life. These activities entail voluntary work camps, hands-on handicraft and cooking workshops, farming, berry and mushroom picking, fishing, home visits, pop-up cafes and other cultural events.
To better market this regional potential, a cluster of Rural Lifestyle (RL) destinations (Söderhamn, Sweden; Aland & Lohja, Finland; Estonia; Latvia) will be established. The cluster will attract travel agencies and tourists from Asia and Europe to enable local tour operators to approach their overseas counterparts with variety of activities and tour packages.
The network of “RL Destinations" established by the project will be enabled and further expanded during and after the project lifecycle.
Eesti Maaülikool
Country: EE
Partner budget: 261.770 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 222.505 EUR ERDF
Helsingin yliopisto Ruralia-instituutti
Country: FI
Partner budget: 129.455 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 97.091 EUR ERDF
Lohjan kaupunki
Country: FI
Partner budget: 114.339 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 85.754 EUR ERDF
Företagsam Skärgård r.f.
Country: FI
Partner budget: 103.163 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 77.372 EUR ERDF
Söderhamns kommun
Country: SE
Partner budget: 107.977 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 80.982 EUR ERDF
Eesti Maaturism
Country: EE
Partner budget: 130.260 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 110.721 EUR ERDF
Gaujas Nacionālā parka tūrisma biedrība
Country: LV
Partner budget: 80.507 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 68.431 EUR ERDF
Latvijas lauku tūrisma asociācija “Lauku ceļotājs”
Country: LV
Partner budget: 205.167 EUR
Amount of ERDF funding: 174.392 EUR ERDF
Expected results
1/ introducing/enhancing a coherent SMART network of Rural Lifestyle destinations based on sustainability and the authentic “rural lifestyle” of the region. The region has sufficient similarities in culture, nature, and history to be able to form a coherent destination, while at the same time offering a wide range and diversity to form interesting and exciting cross-border products.
2/ destinations introducing product provision that will be:
a. based on authentic rural local lifestyles and which preserves the local natural and cultural heritage and values
b. is able to offer attractive products for FIT tourists
c. marketed jointly as an authentic and sustainable destination in Japanese and European markets
d. packaged according to jointly agreed and unified baseline/criteria, which facilitates the creation of cross-border packages readily and flexibly e.g. to far east customers
3/ creation of joint images for each area as a sustainable destination based on their rural lifestyle. The project will support each participating rural area to find their own local strengths from which to build a Rural Lifestyle destination and in co-operation with national tourism boards build sustainable destination joint imagery suited to each tourism market
4/ The network, based on the rural areas selected to the project as “Rural Lifestyle regions” will be open and further expanded during the project as well as after the project’s lifespan. In order to maintain the sustainability of the Rural Lifestyle destination, the connection to the tourism markets as well as supply channels and the visibility in the markets will be established during the project.